A twelve-year-old Michal was born with a cleft lip. He feels inadequate because of his deformed face. His only friend Ondra convinces him to join a street gang to finally break free from a position of an outsider. Two friends have one afternoon to show they have what it takes to pass the admission to the gang. Michal desperately wants to prove he is good enough, but the tempting adventure suddenly turns into an initiation ritual into adulthood. Original Title Rituály Year of production 2022 Length 16' CountryCzech Republic Shooting Format Digital Aspect Ratio 4:3 Dialogue Czech DirectorDamian Vondrasek Producer Martina Netikova Co-Producer FAMU Production Company Cinémotif Films Writers Damian Vondrasek, Lukas Csicsely Cinematographer Krystof Melka Editor Jakub Podmanicky Sound Simon Herrmann Art Director Stella Sonkova Cast Tomas Stary, Daniel Vízek
Website Cinémotif Films Festival selections International Short Film Festival of Cyprus 2022 - World Premiere Alice nella Città 2022, Italy FilmFestival Cottbus - Festival of East European Cinema 2022, Germany Ningbo Short Film Festival 2022, China Kustendorf International Film and Music Festival 2023, Serbia Pragueshorts Film Festival 2023, Czech Republic - Special Mention for Tomas Stary Brussels Short Film Festival 2023, Belgium Ennesimo Film Festival 2023, Italy Close-Up International Film Festival 2023, Canada Zlín Film Festival - International Film Festival for Children and Youth 2023, Czech Republic Kino Otok – Isola Cinema International Film Festival 2023, Slovenia FEST - New Directors/New Films Festival 2023, Portugal CINEMA JOVE - Valencia International Film Festival 2023, Spain Andaras Film Festival 2023, Italy - Best Andaras Noas Award Shorts International Film Festival 2023, Italy TIFF ODA - Tetova International Film Festival 2023, Republic of Macedonia Omladinski Film Festival 2023, Bosnia and Herzegovina European Film Festival Palić 2023, Serbia Beach Film Festival 2023, Republic of North Macedonia Vicoli Corti 2023, Italy ELBE DOCK International Film Festival 2023, Czech Republic/Germany FICBUEU - Festival Internacional de Cinema de Bueu 2023, Spain Sentiero Film Factory 2023, Italy Festival de cinéma de la ville de Québec 2023, Canada Korca Short Film Festival 2023, Albania Jeonju International Short Film Festival 2023, South Korea -Best Actor Award for Tomas Stary The Smalls Film Festival 2023, UK Visioni Corte International Short Film Festival 2023, Italy KIKI International Film Festival for Children 2023, Croatia - Best Film Award Linz International Short Film Festival 2023, Austria Lobo Fest - Festival Internacional de Filmes 2023, Brazil Linea d'Ombra Festival 2023, Italy Baku International Short Film Festival 2023, Azerbaijan Caminhos Film Festival 2023, Portugal Lublin Film Festival 2023, Poland Planos Film Festival 2023, Portugal - Best Editing Award Macau International Short Film Festival 2023 Bosphorus Film Festival 2023, Turkey International Usak Short Film Festival 2023, Turkey Smita Patil International Film Festival 2024, India - Second Award for Best Short Film Sanfici - Santander Festival Internacional De Cine Independiente 2024, Colombia ZOOM ZBLIZENIA International Film Festival 2024, Poland - Special Mention Grenzland-Filmtage Selb International Film Festival 2024, Germany Prague International Film Awards 2024, Czech Republic Ferfilm Festival 2024, Kosovo Director's Statement Growing up, I had experienced moments that attacked the border of my so far familiar world. Milestones that forced me to expand my perception of how complicated life can be. By this film, I would like the audience to re-experience such a maturing moment, from a perspective of a boy who feels alone and who desperately wants to fit in. And because of that, he crosses the line. My goal was to show this adventure through the eyes of the protagonist. This was the key for the visual style of the film as well. We chose a 4:3 aspect ratio using solely 50 mm lens to limit the field of view and create a subjective experience. We used a shallow depth of field to enhance the feeling of isolation. My intention is to seek a connection between emotional perspective and camera angle and most importantly between what is shown and what is hidden.
